But then I happened to be checking the latest typewriters on Australian eBay (as you do) when a Bluebird Torpedo caught my eye – and bless my soul if it didn’t bear a startling resemblance to my green dream machine!

Robert’s description of the Torpedo’s “sharp as a tack sound” confirmed absolutely that my Remington Senior-Riter is the same machine.

A wonderful typewriter, marred only be the chrome that is worn away along the edges of the ribbon cover, chipped paintwork on the paper plate, and a few lines of light rust on the rear panel. I’d like to get the ribbon cover re-chromed at some stage. Probably hellishly expensive though.

Torpedo of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, was a longtime subsidiary of Remington. So most Torpedo’s were branded Torpedo, some Blue Bird or Bluebird, for Great Britain, and some Remington, to be sold through Remington sales channels. At the time it was apparently still cheaper to avoid long shipping distances, so Torpedo made Remingtons for Europe, Royal had a subsidiary in Germany making Diana typewriters, etc. – Your 959513 has an interesting keyboard, QWERTY with ç (c with cedille) added, and of course the accents (è, é, ô, ö) that are lacking on US and UK keyboards. That’s not for French in Europe (France and Belgium use AZERTY, Switzerland uses QWERTZ) and unlikely for Portugal (where the local ..HCESARO or an AZERTY variety were used), so it might be for Brazil or for French in Canada (Québec). Where did you find this machine, i.e. in what country?